Rifles
Rifles are long guns designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves ("rifling") cut into the barrel walls. The mainstays of armed combat and hunting, rifles are characterized by long-range accuracy and effectiveness, but other factors, such as rate of fire, vary widely depending on the type. Rifles are categorized by the type of loading mechanism (or action) they use. They are made to fill a variety of purposes and most are very modular. Most zombie experts agree that rifles are the best overall weapon in a zombie outbreak. Note: ''Many modern rifles can switch between semi-automatic, burst fire or fully-automatic fire. Bolt-action Rifles '''Bolt-action rifles' are loaded by manual operation of the bolt to eject a spent cartridge from the chamber and load a new one. Bolt-action rifles typically have excellent accuracy a long effective range, and excellent stopping power, are easy to use and maintain, and are very sturdy and reliable. On the other hand, they have a low rate of fire (depending on the action e.g. Mauser 98 derived rifles have a "cock on opening" bolt which makes the rate of fire slower. On the other hand, the Lee-Enfield series rifles have a "cock on closing" bolt whilch allows for a higher rate of fire) and a small magazine capacity (typically 3-5 rounds, depending on caliber -- although some, like the Lee-Enfield, have as many as ten), and are difficult to maneuver in close quarters due to their size and length. However, ex-military bolt-action rifles are useful in close quarters as the rifle can be used as a club or as a spear when a bayonet is fitted. Bolt-action rifles were the standard infantry weapons up until World War II and the Korean War when they began to be usurped by semi-automatic battle rifles. Bolt-action rifles continue to be popular with civilian shooters to this day, and modern designs are favored by military and police snipers for their superior accuracy. Bolt-action rifles are still being used by numerous countries as a second-line or reserve rifle for police and military units e.g. the Canadian Rangers. Ex-military bolt-action rifles are still being encountered in the hands of guerrilla forces in numerous conflicts around the world e.g. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, India (with the Naxalite Maoist rebels and the Indian police making extensive use of the Lee-Enfield series rifles alongside more modern rifles e.g. L1A1 Self Loading Rifle and the AKM). In an number of countries where the legal ownership of semi-automatic rifles among licenced, law-abiding firearm owners is heavily restricted and/or banned e.g. Australia and Great Britain; bolt-action rifles (along with lever-action and pump-action rifles) are the only legal alternative for people who live in countires with very restrictive gun laws. Lever-action Rifles Lever-action rifles are loaded by manual operation of a lever located around the trigger guard area (often including the trigger guard itself). While lever-action rifles have long been popular with hunters and sporting shooters, they were not widely accepted by the military. One significant reason for this was that it is harder to fire a lever-action from the prone position (compared to a bolt-action rifle). Another is that lever-action rifles typically use a tubular magazine, which limits them from using full-power rifle cartridges. Lever-action rifles generally have a significantly higher rate of fire than bolt-actions and a greater magazine capacity (the famous Winchester Model 1873, for example, has a magazine capacity of 15 rounds, and most modern lever-actions hold 6 or 7 rounds). In comparison to a bolt-action rifle, the disadvantages of a lever-action are a somewhat shorter effective range, slightly lower accuracy, and somewhat less stopping power. Pump-action Rifles Pump-action rifles are a type of rifle that is manually operated by a pump handle at the fore end of the rifle. Pump-action rifles a good "cross-over" firearm for people who are used to handling semi-automatic rifles and pump-action shotguns in terms of operation and rate of fire. The most common pump-action rifle on the firearms market today is the Remington Model 7600 and Model 7615 series pump-action rifles and carbines. The Remington 7600 and 7615 series rifles and carbines are popular with recreational hunters and target shooters in both North America (where the Remington 7600 is popular with deer hunters in both the USA and Canada e.g. Pennsylvania's gun laws prohibiting hunters from using semi-automatic rifles for deer hunting) and Australia (where the firearm laws in Australia prohibit the majority of licensed firearm owners from legally owning semi-automatic long-arms and pump-action shotguns). Semi-Automatic Rifles Semi-automatic rifles are a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot. They may be operated by a number of mechanisms, all of which derive their power from the explosion of the powder in the cartridge that also fires the bullet. A semi-automatic rifle may be originally designed to be semi-automatic (such as the American M1 Garand or Russian SKS), or a civilian version of a military assault rifle design that lacks its fully-automatic fire mode. Semi-automatic rifles were first widely adopted by militaries during WW2, and briefly usurped bolt-action rifles before being replaced with select-fire automatic rifles such as the AK-47 and M14. Bullpup Rifles Bullpup rifles '''are rifles that hold the magazine behind the trigger, in doing so they save room for the barrel. They are as short as a Carbine, yet have the accuracy and range of a longer barrel rifle. Many have the problem of throwing empty casings into a left handed shooters face, but many have solved this problem, such as the FN P90 and the FN F2000. Automatic Rifles '''Automatic rifles, also known as "self-loading rifles", "select-fire rifles", or a variety of other terms, are a type of rifle that fire continuously for as long as the trigger is depressed. Automatic rifles were the logical next step from semi-automatic rifles, and automatic and semi-automatic rifle designs generally have a lot in common. Indeed, many semi-automatic rifles on the civilian market are simply semi-automatic-only versions of existing automatic rifle designs. Automatic rifles are divided into two sub-classes (depending mainly on their caliber): battle rifles and assault rifles. Battle Rifles Battle rifles utilize full-power rifle cartridges such as 7.62x51mm and can fire in either semi-automatic or fully automatic (the shooter can choose the firing mode with a selector switch), but use in automatic mode is generally discouraged because the recoil soon becomes very difficult to manage and wastes ammunition. Battle rifles are generally heavier and longer than assault rifles, have a somewhat smaller magazine capacity (Most battle rifles have a 20 round magazine, opposed to the assault rifle standard of 30) and another downside is the weight of the large 7.62x51mm ammunition (When the U.S. Army switched from the 7.62 M14 to the 5.56 M16, they found they could carry twice as much ammunition for the same weight). On the upside, the larger caliber means battle rifles are effective at longer ranges than assault rifles, and are more accurate and powerful. For these reasons, battle rifles are currently making something of a resurgence as 'designated marksman rifles' in hotspots such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Well-known battle rifle designs include the M14, FN FAL and H&K G3. Semi-automatic sniper rifles are often based on battle rifle designs (The Heckler & Koch PSG-1, for example, was developed from the G3). Assault Rifles Assault rifles are similar to battle rifles, just chambered in lighter calibers such as 7.62x39mm and 5.56x45mm. The lighter ammunition allows assault rifle users to carry more ammunition, and results in somewhat increased magazine capacity (30 rounds is the norm), reduced recoil and reduced weight. The downsides are somewhat reduced accuracy, range and stopping power. Well-known assault rifle designs include the AK-family (the famous AK-47 and its many descendants and knock-offs), the AR-15 family (including the military M16), the FN FNC, the H&K G36 and the Steyr AUG. Due to their combination of decent stopping power, relatively high rate of fire, and good accuracy within the ranges infantry engagements are typically fought at (less than 300 meters), select-fire assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons of armies around the world. Comparison to Pistols The rifle has many advantages to the pistol. They are more accurate, have farther effective range, and more effective as a melee weapon. One major disadvantage, however, is that with the exception of military bases, ammunition is considerably scarser. The supply and demand of handgun industry dwarfs that of the rifle industry, and as a result, gun stores and personal caches have only a fraction of the rifles and rifle rounds that they do for handguns. List of common rifles *AR-15 - Civilian variant of the M16 family. *M16/M4 Carbine - Prone to jamming, somewhat complicated to take apart. *AK family (AK-47, AK-74, AK-102, AK-108, among others) - Very durable, hardly jams (anything will jam if not taken care of) also VERY simple to take apart. Also includes any semi-automatic variants produced for civilians. *Remington 700 - Highly popular rifle among military, law enforcement, and civilians *Winchester Model 70 - Simmilar to Remington's rifle, in use with military, police, and citizens *Ruger 10/22 Cheap and highly available .22 rifle which still has enough power to destroy a skull and brain *SKS - Semi automatic rifle of russian origin that is extremely popular through the world. Seen in hands of American sport shooters and many other countries *Mauser Karabiner 98k - WWII German bolt-action infantry rifle chambered in 7.92x57mm. Highly popular and accurate rifle among firearm owners. *Lee-Enfield series rifles - Classic British bolt-action infantry rifle chambered in .303 British. Highly reliable, accurate, and is capable of achieving a high rate of fire (15-30 rounds/minute) due to the rifle's "cock on closing" bolt-action and 10-round magazine. *Springfield M1903 - Famous American bolt-action infantry rifle chambered in .30-06 Springfield. *Mosin-Nagant - Famous Russian/Soviet series of bolt-action rifles and carbines chambered in 7.62x54R. Mosin-Nagants are a rugged and reliable bolt-action rifle that's also very affordable due to the massive influx of rifles from the former Soviet Union on the surplus gun market in recent times. *M1 Garand - Classic US military rifle of the Second World War and the Korean War. *M14/M1A - Updated version of the American M1 Garand with a 20-round detachable box magazine, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO/.308 Winchester, and (with some rifles) capable of full automatic fire. The M1A is the semi-automatic, civilian version of the M14 rifle and is popular with civilian rifle shooters in the US, Canada, and other countries where semi-automatic rifles are legal. *Ruger Mini-14/Mini-30 *Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle *Marlin 336/1895 series lever-action rifle *Remington Model 7600/7615 series pump-action rifle References and External Links *M16/AK history, comparison Category:Weapons